IDPD remembers Dr P N Chhuttani on his 100th birth anniversary

Ludhiana, February 26, 2015: Remembering its past president Dr P N Chhuttani on his 100th birth anniversary the Indian Doctors for Peace and Development (IDPD) in a statement said that legendry figures like him will always be remembered for their contribution towards health for all. Dr L S Chawla, President, IDPD who has been his student said that that our organisation owes a lot to his vision towards healthcare in our country. Based on his vision we have put forward several suggestions to the Draft National Health Policy 2015 as asked by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.  We have demanded increase in the public spending on health to 6% of the GDP from the present 1.04% and link malnutrition to food security. The draft should include the social determinants of health like ending poverty, income generation apart from clean water and environment, housing and sanitation.  In a document submitted by the IDPD after thorough debate among the leading members, the IDPD has said that the successive health policies have failed to meet the needs of universal healthcare. Therefore it is essential that the government takes steps in this direction in the new health policy which include universal free access to medicines and diagnostics as is being done already in Kerala and Tamilnadu where 500 – 700 drugs are being supplied by the governments.   There should be no user fee in any public health facility. The policy should opt for universal coverage under Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (RSBY) scheme which should include out-patient care like consultation, diagnostics, treatment at all level of facilities. And it should be brought under Health Ministry instead of Labour Ministry.Recently there has been push by WHO and UNICEF to include vaccines like Hepatitis B, HIB through Pentavalent vaccines in Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP). There is also a move to include vaccine against Rota virus in UIP. The efficacy of these vaccines and the cost benefit is still being debated. Needless to say it is being pushed by international vaccine manufacturers. Centre for Policy Research should review all these issues before it is finally included in the national health programmes.

Adding to this informed Dr Arun Mitra, General Secretary, IDPD, a rational drug pricing policy should be framed. The drug prices should be fixed on the basis of the cost involved in their production. The MRP of the drugs being sold under the generic category should be rationalized to give benefits to the patients as it has been found that in many such cases the difference between the MRP and the purchase price by the retailers is exorbitant. Special clauses should be introduced in the health policy 2015 to ensure ethical practice by the medical professionals, institutions and organisations. The drugs should be brought under the ministry of health and family welfare instead of the ministry of Petroleum & Chemicals. A yearly assessment should be made and data published on the number of patients treated free of cost by the corporate hospitals who have been leased out land virtually free of cost. Rational Population Policy should be framed.